


You ain't got to be afraid (of the words you want to say right now)

by foreverfelicityqueen (stydiasredstring)



Series: the Liam Chronicles [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, M/M, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, episode 7x12 spoilers, idk what to tag this, speculations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stydiasredstring/pseuds/foreverfelicityqueen
Summary: William is struggling with coming clean to his parents about why he really got kicked out of school. Maybe a night out with his best friend, Zoe will bring him some clarity? Or complicate things more?If you haven't watched 7x12 I suggest watching it before you read this oneshot... Because SPOILERS.





	You ain't got to be afraid (of the words you want to say right now)

**Author's Note:**

> This is complete speculation. i just thought it might be cool if William got expelled for hacking, but also there being more 'drama' involved in it. I hope you guys like this. Did I also take the title from a Keiynan Lonsdale song? Maybe I did....

Will rolled his eyes when the front door opened. The modulated computer voice signaled his Dad was home. He pulled the book higher in front of his face to avoid talking. He hoped it would work. But considering he could already hear his father shuffling towards him, he knew luck wasn’t on his side.

“Yes?” he looked up to see Oliver’s arms crossed, watching him closely.

“Are you ready to talk about what happened at school?”

“No.” 

He picked the book up again, but his dad grabbed it and pulled it away. “This isn’t funny William. You realize what you did was wrong. Not only that, hacking is against the law.”

“So it’s okay when Felicity does it but not me?”

Felicity came in from the other room, and Will couldn’t help but avert his eyes. He felt the clutch of guilt deep in his stomach. But he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. 

“Hey,” Oliver snapped. “What the hell has gotten into you lately?”

Felicity’s hand rested on his dad’s and pulled him back. “Oliver--”

“No okay this isn’t like him,” Oliver looked at him again. “This attitude, hacking the school computers, getting expelled? What is going on? Talk to us.”

“Guess I got more of your genes than intended,” he muttered as he stood up. “Can I go to my room now?”

“I have to get to the station, and Felicity is needed on comms tonight,” he said, putting his hand on Will’s shoulder. “You’re still grounded so no leaving and no tablet. But when I get home I want us to talk again.”

“Fine.” 

He was just about to brush past them both when a knock sounded at the door.

Felicity smiled as she pulled the door open. “Rene, Zoe to what do we owe this visit? We were headed out.”

“Yeah I know,” Rene said pulling Zoe in with him. “Figured Zoe and William could hang out here while we work.”

“He’s just worried I’ll sneak out and go to a party if I’m alone,” Zoe relied with a smirk. 

Will would have laughed at her remark if the whole world didn’t feel like it was crumbling around him. 

“Rene,” Oliver said in a low voice. “Now isn’t a good time.”

“Seriously Dad?” William groaned. “How much trouble could Zoe and I get into in our locked apartment?”

“On second thought, I’ll put you in an interrogation room at SCPD,” Rene said, but Zoe just ducked under his arm. 

“We’ll be fine here. Besides I need to pick William’s brain on a problem.”

“I will call and check in on you two every hour,” Felicity said as she leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Read a book.”

“Stay inside,” his dad said as he linked hands with Felicity.

“What they said. And hands to yourself,” Rene added before he followed them out. 

Will let out a shaky breath when the door clicked shut. There was something so incredibly exhausting about keeping secrets from his family. Part of him knew that if he just told them the truth, the whole truth, they’d understand. But it was getting to that point that seemed the hardest.

“So,” Zoe said as she perched herself on the edge of the sofa. “You gonna finally tell me what’s wrong? Or why both your parents look that upset?”

William dropped himself back to the cushions with a sigh. “I got expelled.”

“No seriously.”

“I am being serious.”

Zoe twisted so she could face him. “Why?”

“I sort of hacked the school computers and changed a kid’s grade.”

“That’s really unlike you.”

He shrugged.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

He shook his head. “I want… I just want to forget the last few weeks happened. Just for a night I don’t want to think about it.”

Zoe nodded as a slow smile crossed her face.

“What?”

“We are going out.”

“It’s funny you think we can do that,” he couldn’t help but laugh. “Our parents would find out in a heartbeat.”

“They’re busy trying to stop these bank robbers.” she hopped up and pulled out her phone. “I overhead my dad and Aunt Dinah talking about it. They’ll be too distracted to check in on us. And so what if they do? What’s a couple weeks of grounding for a night of forgetting our woes?”

“We have nowhere to go, no way to get there if we did? I mean sneaking out is one thing but stealing a car might be a bit much.”

“My friend Tony has a car,” she said as she typed away. “And he’s close. He said he can take us to this party.”

“A party? No I don’t think that’s a good id--”

“Will you need to get out of this house,” she replied, pulling him up by his hoodie sleeve. “Trust me, you need a huge distraction. And nothing says distraction like a high school party.”

“Zo… I don’t know.”

“Okay if you want us to stay here, and eat junk food, binge watching every sci-fi movie in your Netflix queue, we will,” she said giving him a look. “Or we could go out, have fun, and be kids who parents are super overprotective heroes for one night. Your choice?”

Will looked around the apartment. It felt as if the walls somehow had pushed themselves closer to him. He felt a wave of panic push through him. He should stay. He should tell Zoe they were safer and better off at home. But he didn’t want to.

“We have to be back before our parents.”

“We can do that,” she smirked, linking her arm in his. “Come on, Tony’s already downstairs.”

“So sure I’d say yes?”

“He was close, sue me.”

\---

Will felt even more out of his element. The music was loud. There were kids everywhere, a few his and Zoe’s age, most of them older. But for once in three weeks he didn’t feel like the world was crashing down around him. He actually felt like he could breath.

“A water for both of you,” Tony said handing him and Zoe bottles. “Rene would kill me if you two started drinking.”

“Hey,” Zoe said cracking her bottle open. “Maybe nix the ‘parental talk’ for the night, please?”

“Yeah if he finds out you were here, I had nothing to do with it.”

“You’re scared of her dad?” Will asked, letting the energy of the party find it’s groove in him.

“I would be stupid not to be,” Tony grinned as he placed an arm around Will. “You two stay out of trouble, I have to go find Avery.”

Tony made his way through the crowd and Will looked at Zoe in confusion. “Avery?”

“Tony’s boyfriend,” Zoe replied as she took another drink. “They’ve been dating for two months, and it’s adorably disgusting.”

Will froze at her words. The anxiety flooded his system again as he played with his bottle cap. He needed to go and find somewhere to sit or something. 

“I’m gonna mingle,” he said, pulling away from the kitchen island. 

“Are you sure? I mean this place it kind of packed.”

“Didn’t we come here to get out and forget things?”

“Yes, but...”

“Then I’ll meet you back here in an hour,” he said with a shrug. “Come on Zoe this was your idea. Let’s just see what happens.”

“One hour, Will. And then we go home.”

Will found that losing himself in a crowded party was easier than he thought it would be. No one there knew him. He would get a hint of recognition as someone’s gaze past over him, but no stopped him. No one called him out for being the son of the Green Arrow. No one had any preconceived notions on who he should be. Will could just exist in the room with everyone else. 

“You go to Westmont?” a guy in a gray hoodie asked him as he took the open seat next to Will. He had to be no older than 14 or 15. Probably a freshman. Technically Will was too, or he would have been had he taken his midterms and skipped a semester. 

When he didn’t answer the guy smiled at him. “I haven’t seen you around before only reason I ask.”

“No,” he replied taking a drink of his water. He suddenly felt way more parched than he had a second ago. “I don’t go to Westmont.”

“East Central?”

“Nope.”

“Home schooled?”

“Um,” Will ran a hand through his hair. “No. I’m starting back at Starling Prep next week.”

“Ooh, prep school, fancy,” the guy took a swig of his own drink, but he kept smiling at Will. “So, you got a name?”

“Do you?” Will countered, feeling his own surge of confidence. 

“Liam,” he replied with a smile. “And you?”

“Will,” he let it slip out as low as he could. 

He had felt like this once already. Late last fall. And crap had that felt like a fall. And then the winter semester hit and everything fell in a different way.

“Will,” Liam echoed, his eyes never leaving Will’s. “So, Will, what’s your story?”

He didn’t really understand why, but he started letting things slip out. He told Liam about losing his mom. About his Dad being in jail. He told him about being sent to boarding school. And then after that none of the bad stuff seemed to be bugging him anymore.

He had no clue how long they had been talking, but Will felt more at ease with Liam the longer they did.

“How have you never played Far Cry 5?” Liam protested shaking his head. “It’s only the best game ever.”

“I mean isn’t that opinion based?”

“You don’t trust my opinion?” he arched a brow at Will.

“I never said that. Just pointing out that everyone might not agree with you.”

“Well they’re wrong and you should play it,” he countered with a laugh.

Will had been on the edge of his seat to ask more about Liam for roughly twenty minutes. He was working himself up to it. And he was pretty sure he was just about ready to at least ask for his number, when the crowd parted in front of the couch and Zoe stood in front of him.

“There you are,” she let out a sigh. “I’ve been looking for you for like half hour.”

“Zoe…” Will looked between her and Liam. He could feel his cheeks begin to red and he couldn’t help but feel how close Liam’s leg was to his own. “I just, um I lost track of time.”

“Hi,” Liam greeted Zoe without missing a beat, but his eyes still trailed back to Will. “You must be Will’s--”

“Friend,” Will jumped in, as he stood. “Zoe. I told you about her.”

“Right, it’s nice to meet you,” Liam shook her hand with a grin. “I’m Liam.”

“Yeah it’s nice to meet you.”

Will could feel her gaze directly on him, but he didn’t dare look at her. He didn’t think he could. 

“We gotta get back to your place,” Zoe prompted, as she nudged his arm. “Our parents remember?”

That knocked Will out of his stupor. “Shit, what time is it?”

Liam pulled out his phone  and for a second Will’s heart kind of soared at the notion. But then he looked at him and shrugged. “Quarter to twelve.”

Will’s eyes went wide as he pulled out his own phone. He had kind of hoped Zoe had been right earlier in the evening about Felicity being too busy to check up on them. But if the 20 missed calls were any indication, he was in so much trouble.

“I’m dead.”

Zoe looked over his shoulder and grimaced. “We should go.”

“Wait,” Liam said before they could get to far. It was the first time that night Will would call him sheepish. Liam reached for Will’s hand and, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety again. But Liam just took his phone, typed for a little bit, then handed it back. “Call me when you’re not grounded anymore. We’ll hang out.”

“Okay,” Will knew he was smiling, he knew it and he couldn’t bring himself to stop. 

He would be grounded until he he was 30 when he got home. But that didn’t feel like it mattered really.

He let Zoe lead him through the party, and towards the front door. But just as they were about to head down the stairs, the wail of police sirens pulled up the street. One car was already parked in front of the house. And the officer that got out looked vaguely familiar to him.

“Oh no,” Zoe muttered. 

“Zoe?” the officer said as he came closer. “You’re father is gonna kill me.”

“Hi, Nick.”

He gave her a stern look.

“I mean, Officer Anastas,” she leaned into Will to add. “Curtis’ boyfriend.”

That’s why he looked familiar, Will thought as Nick moved closer. They really weren’t having a good night. 

“Get over by my car.”

They followed his instruction and went to wait by the police cruiser. Will looked down at his phone, and contemplated the ten voicemails Felicity left, or opening the 30 or so texts he got as well. But he couldn’t help but hover over the new name in his call log. 

_ Liam. _

“You never told me,” Zoe said, so quiet he barely heard her over the cops breaking up the party. 

“There was nothing to tell,” he replied, but even he didn’t really believe it. 

“Will,” she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “You never have to tell me things you don’t want to, but I’m always here if you need to. That’s never gonna change.”

“Thanks Zoe,” he smiled, putting his phone in his pocket. “I’ll probably never see him again.”

“Who knows,” she shrugged. “Maybe you will.”

“Maybe,” he whispered, hoping it didn’t sound too much like wishing for the impossible.

\---

Officer Anastas didn’t take them to the station. But they soon found out it’s only because he had called Oliver who told him to take them to the Queen residence. Will wanted nothing more than to disappear instead of going inside. 

Officer Anastas knocked on the door. He should have just agreed to open it with his key. Waiting outside, with a cop had to be the worst experience of his life. And that included the fresh hell that was getting expelled from school.

The door opened within seconds. Will didn’t need to look up to see the disappointment covering his father’s face, but he still did. And it made him feel even worse.

“Thanks for bringing them home, Nick,” Oliver said motioning for him and Zoe to get into the apartment. “I appreciate it.”

“For what it’s worth neither of them had any alcohol,” Nick said. But his dad’s face must have changed to a glare, because the officer cleared his throat and added. “I’m gonna go now. Night everyone.”

Will waited until he heard the door close before he looked over at Felicity and Rene. Somehow he hadn’t quite been able to picture just how angry they would all look. But now that he saw it? He didn’t think he’d forget any of these looks for a long time.

“I want to start with a what the hell were you thinking,” Rene said as he looked directly at Zoe. “But I don’t think I want to know the answer.”

“It was just a party Dad.”

“Just a party?” Rene scoffed and rolled his eyes. ‘You hear that guys, it was just a party. So the fact that you had Felicity worried out of her mind, and she had to debate whether or not to tell us over comms so we wouldn’t freak out, doesn’t matter. Cuz it was a party.”

Zoe looked down then, and Will could tell she was trying her best to bite back a response. Zoe always had something to say, and she sometimes had to keep herself for saying it.

“It was my fault,” Will spoke up gaining every pair of eyes in the room to focus solely on him. “I was upset and Zoe just wanted to cheer me up. I’m sorry.”

He wished his dad or Felicity would say something, anything at all, but they just stared at him with that look of disappointment. 

“We’re gonna go,” Rene finally said, coming over to Zoe. “Say goodbye Zoe.”

“Bye,” she said to Will, with a smile. “Talk to you later.”

“She’ll talk to you next week,” Rene amended and lead her to the door. 

Will stood where he was, waiting for either of his to talk first, but before Felicity could his phone buzzed.

“Well it’s good to know it works,” she said, holding out her hand. “Hand it over.”

“Can I just check--”

“Now.”

He pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s kind of hard to believe that when you deliberately disobeyed the rules,” Oliver replied, giving him a look. “I get that you’re going through something, but that doesn’t give you the right to take it out on Felicity or me. And it certainly doesn’t give you the right to sneak out to some party. We were really worried William.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I just…”

Felicity moved closer to him, and he wanted to break down. There were too many things he still wanted to sort out before he talked to them. Too many things he didn’t understand about himself that he wanted to figure out. But he felt like he was running out of time to do that.

“Kiddo what’s going on?” she asked pulling him over to the barstools. “Partying and sneaking out, on top of getting expelled? William we can see that you’re upset. And if it’s because I sent you away, can we just talk about it? I can’t stand the idea of you hurting and not coming to us.”

“It’s not… that’s not why I’m...” he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t look at his parents and tell them the truth. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Maybe,” his dad took a breath before he continued. “Maybe if you can’t talk to us, we could find you someone else to talk to.”

“You mean like a shrink?” Will scoffed. It wasn’t actually the worst idea his dad had ever had.

“Hey there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it,” Oliver replied. “And I don’t want you to think that you can’t come to us with anything, but if you feel that way maybe it’s time to try something else.”

Will looked at his hands, trying to recall the feeling he had at the party. Of being completely and totally himself with a complete stranger. Why couldn’t he do that at home? He knew Felicity and his dad loved him. He knew they would be willing to listen to him. But that wasn’t his problem and he knew it.

“I’m sorry we snuck out,” he said keeping his gaze on the ground. “It was stupid and we shouldn’t have.”

His dad sighed. “You’re right it was.”

“And I’m sorry for acting like an ass for the last week,” he looked at Felicity. “You didn’t deserve that.” 

“I accept your apology,” she said. “You want to tell us why you changed that kid’s grade?”

He looked from her to his dad, and then down again. “Because he asked me to.”

“Did he threaten you into doing it? Because we can talk to your school.”

“No, Dad,” his voice rose a little in panic and he tried to shake it off. “Chad didn’t threaten me into changing his grade. I did it because…”

“Because?”

“Because I liked him okay?” Will blurted out. “I liked him, and he was gonna get kicked off the basketball team for failing calc. So he asked for my help and I said yes. Because I stupidly thought that if I helped change his grade he’d like me back.”

His dad didn’t reply, even Felicity had gone quiet next to him. And he just wanted to reverse time and take the words back. But he couldn’t. They were outside of him, and he had no control over how they’d land.

“Will--”

“Can we not talk about this right now? I just want to go to bed.” He also wanted to get away from what he said.

“Hey,” his dad caught his arm before he could move from the kitchen. “We don’t have to talk right now, not if you don’t want to. But you need to hear me out first.”

“Dad…”

“No listen to me,” Oliver said, placing both his hands on Will’s shoulders. “You are a brilliant. Okay, Felicity and I struck gold with you as a kid. And I don’t want you to ever feel like the way you are isn’t good enough for anything.”

“You’re dad’s right,” Felicity said as she took his hand. “And you need to remember that anyone worth caring about will never ask you to do something like that again.”

Will felt a bit of the weight lift from his shoulders. “You’re not mad?”

“I’m upset you lied to us. And that that you did something you knew was wrong,” Oliver replied. “And that you and Zoe snuck out. But those are things we will get over. The rest of it isn’t anything to be angry about.” 

He nodded, letting his dad pull him in for a hug. And for the first time in a long time he felt like things were finally okay between them. “I wanted to tell you. I did I just didn’t know how.”

His dad let him go and Felicity was right there with another shoulder squeeze. “If you want to talk about it. Okay well you don’t have to tell us everything, I mean I remember how much my mother used to pry into my love life.”

“Used to?” his dad joked, earning a playful jab from her. 

“We’ll listen is what I’m trying to say.”

“I just want to go to bed,” Will let out, he was more exhausted than ever before. But he also finally felt like he could be himself at home. “I take it I’m still grounded?”

“All month,” his dad added with a smile. “But that’s mostly because you broke curfew and snuck out.”

“You can have your phone back in two weeks hough,” Felicity amended. “But even then no calls after 9, and it stays in the living room when you go to bed.”

“That’s fair.” He said, even if he was kind of itching to check if Liam had messaged him. He didn’t want to say that though. “Can I text one friend real quick to tell them I won’t be in touch for a while?”

His parents shared a look, one of their conversations without ever actually speaking, and then his dad nodded. “One text.”

Felicity gave him the phone, and he checked his messages. He actually had one from Zoe, telling him she was grounded and couldn’t text for a while. No surprise there. Rene didn’t seem like the kind of person to budge on a rule. Maybe that’s why he got along so well with Will’s Dad. 

But it was the next message that had his face light up. Liam had texted him.

_ Just making sure you and your friend made it home alright. The cops showed up like ten seconds after you left.  _

Will took a deep breath, thinking about what to text back. It was easier to talk to Liam when they had been in their own little bubble. But now that he was at home, with Felicity waiting for him to hand his phone back over it didn’t know what to text. But finally he gave in and sent the first thing he could think of.

_ We’re okay. Grounded for a month though. No phone for two weeks. I’ll call you when I get it back. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I had fun. _

He hit send before he could reconsider, and set the phone back on the counter. “Thanks for letting me do that.”

“You’re welcome,” Felicity replied with a smile. “It’s late, so let’s all get to bed.”

“Night guys,” Will said as he made his towards his room. 

Once alone William let out a groan as he dropped to his bed. The week had been full of emotions, the day alone had felt like a hundred mashed together. But things finally felt like they were looking up. 

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing his smartwatch out of the drawer of his nightstand and checking his texts once more. 

The message icon showed one more text from Liam. It made him smile even more.

_ I had fun too. Talk to you soon, prep school. _

Yeah, things finally felt like they might be more than just okay.

  
  



End file.
